Bring a photography coworking space into focus

As an entrepreneur who loves the arts, you likely feel called to uplift creative professionals in your community. Photographers in particular need space to pursue their craft, connect with clients, and collaborate with fellow artists. By designing a flexible studio space in your coworking facility, you can support these creative souls while also adding unique value to your membership.

Photography can be an isolated profession. By fostering community in a photography-focused coworking space, you can enrich your members' experiences and accelerate their success. 

Design your space to spark organic networking and socializing. Comfortable lounges, collaboration nooks, and community events bring members together. Through informal mingling and mentoring, members can support each other's entrepreneurial journeys. As owner, facilitate introductions and relationships between members at varying career stages.

Offering educational programming tailored to photographers shows your commitment to your members' ongoing development. Host seminars, workshops and industry meetups to help members stay inspired. Bring in experts to share tips on mastering equipment, leveraging new technology, and building photography businesses.

You can also enrich members by facilitating collaborations. With diverse creative talents under one roof, the possibilities are endless. Curate teams for collaborative projects that allow members to deepen their skills and expand their portfolios. Play matchmaker by introducing members seeking website, graphic design, writing or other services. 

While the photography journey is often solitary, your space can cultivate lasting connections, inspiration and growth. By providing community tailored to photographer needs, you empower members at all career stages to reach new heights.

All of this is possible with an operating system like Coworks that lets you create a flexible, functional, and streamlined space driven by software that is designed for non-software people.

Maximize areas with natural light

In addition to providing an environment for connection and collaboration, your coworking space should also serve as a space for creation. Photographers will be drawn to studio areas drenched in natural light. If possible, choose a facility with tall windows, skylights and light wells. White or light-colored walls will help daylight diffuse evenly. For windowless spaces, add artificial daylight lamps. Provide blackout shades when needed to control light levels.

Create flexible floor plans 

Photographers love variety. The more reusable your space is, with various configurations, the more valuable it is to them. Avoid fixed walls in favor of movable partitions and dividers. This allows photographers to modify the studio based on their shoot requirements. Have plenty of wide open spaces for fashion or product photographers who require large set-ups. Also incorporate some smaller spaces for headshot or portrait sessions. 

Provide backdrops and systems

Invest in some basic backdrops like solid colored backgrounds or canvas photo blocks. White, black and green screens are ideal. You can also get creative with textured backgrounds: exposed brick, weathered wood, marble contact paper. Have a mix of free standing, mobile setups as well as installed backdrop systems. Allow photographers to bring their own customized backdrops as needed. 

Coworks space management software lets you manage all these systems as bookable assets so your members can reserve their use and not risk being without their needs on shoot days.

Offer safe equipment storage

Photographers need ample, secure storage for cameras, lenses, lighting kits, reflectors, props, backdrops, light stands, and more. Build out roomy storage closets and cabinets throughout your space. Many photographers travel with equipment, so include some lockers and cubbies for daily use. 

Welcome and track clients

Of course, your photography coworking studio should enable photographers to comfortably meet and collaborate with clients. Have a comfortable waiting area or lounge, as well as smaller conference rooms for consultations. Some photographers may even want to showcase their galleries. 

Coworks software lets you keep a front desk tablet for check-ins that automatically alerts the photographers their subjects have arrived.

Curate an artistic community

Anyone can rent studio space. But the coworking model is unique because its about more than flex space: it’s about relationships. Photographers thrive when they connect with fellow artists. You can help foster that community by hosting regular meetups, inviting speakers, and offering workshops in your space. Help these artists run their businesses by connecting them to service providers, or hosting business development opportunities. Promote these events to local photography groups. 

Coworks software includes mobile member app with a dynamic event feet. Members can see what’s coming up, learn about events, share them among their own networks, and even RSVP.

Offer unique amenities  

What other special touches could make your photography studio really shine? Some ideas include on-site printing, editing suites, props/accessories and catering options. You may even attract artists by offering production coordination or marketing services. 

It's also essential your space fits seamlessly into your members’ busy workflow. An integrated platform like Coworks space management can help them use your space efficiently: 

• Book studios and equipment through an intuitive member app
• Automate their membership billing and invoices 
• Safely access the space, and welcome clients to ensure security
• Promote availability and book external clients
• View events and availability of resources

And as the photography coworking space operator, Coworks lets you:

• Manage prospects and leads using the integrated CRM
• Automate billing and invoicing, integrating with Quickbooks.
• Create and promote events
• Establish different membership types and billing tiers
• Administrate teams and individual members
• Offer safe and seamless access control to protect members and their property
• Run reports to assess space performance, occupancy, and more

By choosing Coworks, you provide photographers state-of-the-art space management tools in an easy-to-use platform designed for their needs. 

Bringing creativity and purpose to your coworking community is tremendously rewarding. By providing flexible studio space tailored to photographers, you empower them to turn passion into profit while doing what they love. Seen through an artist's eye, ordinary spaces transform into vibrant scenes full of light, color and imagination. Equipped with the right tools, your photography coworking space will become a hub of collaboration, inspiration, and artistic vision.